StarHub enters gaming market, offering subscribers of new 2Gbps plan free routers dedicated to gamers

SINGAPORE — While it is hard to impart the skills required for video gamers to defeat their arch-rivals online, it has at least got easier for them to overcome their other nemesis: Slow Internet connection speeds.

From Saturday (Aug 3), StarHub customers will receive a free high-performance 802.11ac WiFi gaming router from Asus’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand when they sign up with the telco’s new Turbo Gamer 2Gbps plan.

The Rapture GT-AC2900, which retails at S$399, is the Taiwan-based electronics company’s latest gaming router and the two firms promised in a joint presentation on Friday that it will not only provide better WiFi coverage at home, but will smoothen the online gaming experience as well.

This announcement comes weeks after TODAY reported in its weekly Big Read series that a cut-throat telco market — Singapore has 11 providers in total — has resulted in a decline in mobile revenues.

StarHub, which also provides pay-television services, has also seen similar shrinking revenues from that division with the entry of competitors such as the online video streaming platform Netflix.

Thus, the three main telcos, StarHub, Singtel and M1, have tried to diversify into new growth areas in the digital economy while maintaining their core business as an infrastructure and network provider.

For its part, StarHub has also made an aggressive push into cybersecurity, working with Certis Cisco to create Ensign. Its enterprise business delivered 16 per cent year-on-year growth in service revenues.

'LIKE FORMULA ONE'

The company’s latest foray into the gaming market will not be breaking new ground within the telco industry. Rival Singtel has an ongoing partnership with gaming hardware company Razer to collaborate on e-sports and gaming-related services, among other things.

But Mr Yann Courqueux, StarHub’s vice president (home product), remains optimistic.

Speaking to TODAY at the end of the presentation at the Bountie e-sports arena, Mr Courqueux said: “Coming in later to this market allows us to understand where we need to position ourselves.”

One way to do that, he said, was to make specialised gaming hardware more “mainstream and affordable” for a large market.

“I think that in every home there is a gamer, or several gamers; and I think everyone deserves to have this connectivity and performance.”

Mr Courqueux, who plays video games regularly with his teenage sons, also likened servicing the gaming community to Formula 1.

“Formula 1 is the market where you (automobile companies) innovate and test new stuff. This is why I believe that if you (tech companies) are good in the gaming space, you’ll be excellent everywhere else.”

This diversification into the gaming sphere does not mean that StarHub will be ignoring its core business model as a telecommunications provider, stressed Mr Courqueux.

“We are here to provide the best experience (for our customers), so that’s about it,” he said.

“We’ve always been doing these type of bundle offers of data connectivity plus device, and so we just extend that to more accessories. But it’s the same business model basically.”

PUTTING THE GAMER FIRST

The telco said in a statement that its dual internet connection 2Gbps fibre broadband service gives customers the flexibility of setting up home networks to suit their needs.

This could include anything from wiring a dedicated gigabit network for resource-intensive gaming and cloud services to having separate wireless connections, without compromising on bandwidth and surfing experience.

During his presentation, Mr Richard Chen, the APAC product director for Asus, said the router “prioritises” gaming packets from the user’s gaming device to game servers.

This, he said, shortens ping times by as much as 75 per cent. A fast ping essentially means a more responsive connection, which is vital for online gamers where timing is of the essence.

Furthermore, Mr Chen claims that a simple redesign to make the router wall mountable allows WiFi signals to cover “the entire” house without interference.

StarHub said in its statement that the router is also equipped with AiProtection Pro, which is powered by Trend Micro, to protect the entire home network from threats.

“This real-time network protection service, which also offers users advanced parental controls, comes free for lifetime; no subscription is required,” it said.

StarHub said customers will get the Rapture GTAC2900 at no additional cost when they sign up for the Turbo Gamer 2Gbps plan, which is priced at S$62.90 per month.

As part of a launch promotion, subscribers will get two free months of subscription. More details can be found on the telco’s website, which will go live on Saturday morning.